Feds say protections for gray wolves should be removed

Gray wolves are no longer endangered and should be stripped of federal protection, argued a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service draft regulation released to the Chronicle on Friday.

Gray wolf photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The document, which proposes removing all but a small group of Mexican wolves in the lower 48 states from the U.S. Endangered Species list, led to howls of protest from wildlife advocates. Delisting wolves, they say, would have a profound effect on California, Oregon and Washington, where the peripatetic predators are just beginning to gain a foothold. The first wolf in California in almost 90 years crossed the border from Oregon in December 2011, creating a sensation.

The solo lobo, named OR7, traveled thousands of miles through some of California’s most scenic wilderness in search of a mate. He went back to Oregon on March 13. Read more about the proposed regulation here.